{"id":42514,"date":"2018-04-21T11:51:09","date_gmt":"2018-04-21T15:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=42514"},"modified":"2021-03-17T20:53:54","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T00:53:54","slug":"new-england-patriots-of-the-past-gil-santos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/04\/21\/new-england-patriots-of-the-past-gil-santos\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots of the Past: Gil Santos"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Gil Santos, longtime radio broadcaster for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/patriots\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New England Patriots<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/story\/0ap3000000927585\/article\/gil-santos-longtime-patriots-broadcaster-dies-at-80\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">passed away<\/a> on Thursday, April 19<sup>th<\/sup> at the age of 80. His tenure in the position stretched 36 years, rightfully earning him the respect of fans and players alike, a spot in the Patriots Hall of Fame, and a spot in our <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2018\/04\/18\/ty-law-new-england-patriots-past\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pats of the Past<\/a> series.<\/p>\n<h1>Former New England Patriots broadcaster Gil Santos passes away at the age of 80<\/h1>\n<h2>\u201cIt\u2019s good! It\u2019s good! It\u2019s good!\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Many fans may remember Gil Santos shouting those words across the radio waves on February 3<sup>rd<\/sup>, 2002, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/V\/vinatada01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adam Vinatieri<\/a>\u2019s 48-yard field goal attempt sailed through the uprights to win the New England Patriots their first Super Bowl Championship. He would call two more Super Bowl wins and countless plays for the team before retiring in 2013. For many, Santos will forever be remembered as the \u201cvoice of the Patriots.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Reactions from the Team<\/h2>\n<p>Robert Kraft, CEO and owner of the Patriots, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.patriots.com\/news\/2018\/04\/19\/statement-patriots-chairman-and-ceo-robert-kraft-passing-patriots-hall-fame\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">issued a statement<\/a> following Santos\u2019 death, who extended his sympathies to his family, calling Santos a \u201clegendary broadcaster.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bill Belichick<\/strong> echoed Kraft\u2019s statements, saying the broadcaster \u201cwill forever remain a special figure in the lives of generations of players, coaches and fans who knew him [\u2026] Gil was a great friend and he will be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Statement from Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5D9XR1zdUN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/5D9XR1zdUN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; New England Patriots (@Patriots) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Patriots\/status\/987313837690023936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 20, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/Z\/ZolaSc00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scott Zolak<\/a>, former Patriots quarterback and one of the current broadcasters for the team, was \u201cdevastated\u201d by Santos\u2019 passing. Zolak described Santos as a \u201cgreat broadcaster\u201d and a \u201cclass act.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bob Socci, the successor to Santos, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BobSocci\/status\/987162534397579265\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tweeted on Thursday<\/a> that \u201cThere is no replacing Gil Santos. He was, is, and will remain the Voice of the Patriots \u2013 the voice of football in New England. [\u2026] Gil\u2019s voice still resonates in my mind every Sunday&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Most Memorable Calls<\/h2>\n<p>While Santos was not able to cover some of the more recent miracles the Patriots have accomplished \u2013 such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/ButlMa01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Malcolm Butler<\/a>\u2019s game-saving interception in Super Bowl XLIV, or the epic comeback during Super Bowl LI \u2013 he was witness to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.patriots.com\/news\/2018\/04\/20\/gil-santos-top-10-calls\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">plenty of other miraculous plays<\/a> in Patriots history. Vinatieri\u2019s game winning field goal in Super Bowl XXXVI was just one of his most memorable.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, that wasn\u2019t his only memorable call for that game. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/L\/LawxTy00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ty Law<\/a>\u2019s pick-six not only gave the team the lead, but turned the booth into an absolute mad house.<\/p>\n<p>His call of Vinatieri\u2019s kick to win the infamous \u201cTuck Rule Game\u201d in overtime is a fan favorite as well. That game made history for other reasons, but Santos\u2019 palpable joy shouting \u201cOh baby, we\u2019re going to the AFC Championship!\u201d displayed his absolute love for the team.<\/p>\n<p>His play-by-play of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BradTo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Brady<\/a>\u2019s 65-yard bomb to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MossRa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Randy Moss<\/a> in 2007 \u2013 a historical, record-setting touchdown pass in itself \u2013 was historical in its own right.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne play. Bang bang. They both set NFL records.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>A Journey\u2019s End<\/h2>\n<p>Even a battle with pneumonia could not stop the Patriots\u2019 voice. After a short hospitalization, Santos ultimately returned as the play-by-play broadcaster for one final season. Following the team&#8217;s loss to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/ravens\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a> in the AFC Championship game, Santos gave a farewell to listeners across the area.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cIn walking away from the microphone and retiring as the voice of the Patriots, I\u2019ll just say this: I want to thank the fans who have been so very kind to me over the years. I want to thank Bob Kraft and his family. Bill Belichick, his staff and his players, thank them for being so cooperative to me. To our broadcast team over the season. And to all the previous Patriots coaches and players and owners, thank you very much for allowing me to be the voice of the Patriots for 36 wonderful years. I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope the next guy who does it enjoys it as much as I have. I hope he realizes it is a privilege, not a job. That\u2019s gonna take care of it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Gil, from everyone at LWPF and Patriots fans everywhere, thank you for 36 years of brilliant broadcasting. You won\u2019t be forgotten.<\/p>\n<p>Main photo:<br \/>\n<a id=\"LNSCdmK7TnZkeyNIGY8Bug\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/888357724\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'LNSCdmK7TnZkeyNIGY8Bug',sig:'czhEdngrHs4ZdqWM3NFDeAqY5oIPavHgYNwMBe8Ei48=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'888357724',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gil Santos, the longtime radio broadcaster for the New England Patriots, passed away on Thursday, April 19th at the age of 80. His tenure in the position stretched 36 years, rightfully earning him the respect of fans and players alike, a spot in the Patriots Hall of Fame, and a spot in our Pats of the Past series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2508,"featured_media":42536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,54,5],"tags":[834,430,7311],"class_list":["post-42514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-editorials","category-patriots","tag-adam-vinatieri","tag-bill-belichick","tag-new-england-patriots-roster"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2508"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}